One Soul
by Buckster
Summary: Jubilee meets someone in a bar. The meeting is the start of something much bigger. Warning: Slash
1. Chapter one

Disclaimer: Any character you know from Marvel belongs to them. Frankie belongs to me. Please ask permission if you want to use her. 

A/N: I'm having a little problem coming up with a title for this story. So any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Also need help with a code name for Frankie, though it's not needed this chapter (Thank heavens or I would have a big problem).Also, this story contains some slash. I'm not planning on anything graphic, but you never know where the story will go. 

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'I can't believe I let Kitty talk me into this,' thought Jubilee as she sat in the booth in the bar Kitty dragged her to so she could have a little "fun". It wasn't the kind of place she normally frequented, so as soon as the walked in, she got herself a beer, then found a place in a dark corner to hide. 'This so seems like her scene though. Never knew she was gay. Guess you learn something new everyday. Question is, why did she think I would be comfortable here? Did she know or did she just give up trying the straight bars she has been dragging me to? Thought I hid this part of myself better. Guess there is something to this "Gaydar" after all. Either that, or I am not as good an actor as I thought.'

 While she was lost in thought, she missed the approach of someone new to her table.

"Is this seat taken?" asked the newcomer. "This place is packed and this is the last open seat I could find."

 "No, go ahead and sit down," Jubilee said without looking up from her drink. 

 "Hope you don't mind that I got ya a new beer. I noticed you've been playing with that one for about half an hour. Got to be flat by now."

 That comment got her to look up. Sitting across from her was one of the most beautiful women she as seen since leaving the X-mansion. Long brunette hair, worn free framed a face with what can only be described as ice blue eyes. She couldn't believe this person wanted to sit with her.  She knew the "only chair" line was just that, a line. From where she sat, she could see at least one totally empty table plus a few more empty chairs spread around other tables. 'She had to have been watching me for a while since she knew I've had this same beer for as long as I have.' 

 "Thanks. Name's Jubilee."

 "Francis, but call me Frankie," said the newcomer as she handed over the beer. 

 Once Frankie sat down, the two sat talking and listening to the music for a while. After about an hour, they decided to join everyone else on the dance floor. They just seemed to click. They made their way to Kitty and Jubilee made the introductions. They stayed together, alternating between sitting at the table and dancing till closing time. At that time they separated, exchanging phone numbers and e-mail addresses and agreed to meet for coffee at 10 the next morning in a café down the street from the bar. 

Next morning around 10:15 am 

As Jubilee got her third coffee refill, she was thinking about how she felt about being stood-up. 

 'I knew she wouldn't show up. Why would someone like her want to spend time with someone like me?' While she was agonizing over all this, she kept an eye out, looking for Frankie. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Frankie standing at the end of her table, dressed in black fatigue pants, a grey t-shirt, and combat boots. 

 "Sorry I'm late. Had a situation come up about an hour after I left the club and it just ended about ten minutes ago."

 Jubilee jumped. "How did you sneak up on me like that? As hard as I was looking for you, I should have heard you coming, especially with those boots you are wearing."

 "Don't know. Just something I have always been able to do. Well, unless I want to, then you hear me a mile away. Comes in handy with what I do for a living though. Because of this, I am one of the only rookies on the SWAT team."

 "That's cool. Pretty big honor this early in your career."

 "You seem to be feeling better today. Although I have a feeling I was almost too late today. I really am sorry about that. I'd never stand up someone as beautiful as you."

 Blushing, Jubilee asked, "You telepathic or something? How did you know exactly what I was thinking?"

 "I felt your feelings, not read your mind. I'm sort of empathic. Usually I just get vague ideas of what people around me are feeling, but last night, I felt your emotions so strongly, I had to meet you. You seemed so upset, I had to cheer you up."

 "So you're a …"

 "Psychic."

 "That was not what I was going to say."

"I know, but I'm not a mutant."

 "And you know this how?"

 "You can't be a mutant and be on the SWAT team. Even though I did get out of the blood test because I am former military."

 "You were in the service?"

 "Yeah. Enlisted right after high school. Wasn't in for long though. Got busted with my first girlfriend and was discharged."

 "How long ago was this?"

 "About ten years now."

 "So that means nothing. They weren't testing for the X-factor gene back then."

 "Don't you think I would know if I was a mutant?"

 "Hmm let me see… Empathy and you can sneak up on people who are trained not to be snuck up on while you are wearing combat boots on a hardwood floor. That to me equals…"

 "Hush. Someone is coming. From the feel, I am thinking FOH."

 "How do you know that? Just by "feeling" them?"

 Looking down at the table, "No, I heard them. Actually been listening to them for a while now."

 "Ok, wait a second, enhanced hearing, stealth, and empathy? And you don't consider yourself a mutant? What do you have against them anyway?"

 "Nothing, honestly. I just am not that special."

 "Whew. Cause I am…"

 "Not going to say what I think you are about to with," listening for a minute, "about a dozen FOH members coming in here."

 "Uh, Then shouldn't we be getting out of here?"

"That sounds like a good plan. Together or separate?"

"Together. If we have to split up later, then we will. I'd rather stay with you though in case we have to fight."

 "Oh, think I can't take care of myself?" Frankie asked with a smirk.

 "No, with you being a SWAT team member and all, I'm sure you can. Just the odds will be better if we are together."

 "True. So, ready to go?"

Outside the café 

"So where are they? Thought they were almost here," Jubilee asked.

 "Thought they were. Guess I was wrong. Happens from time to time. Why don't we head to my place? I need to take a shower and get out of these clothes."

"Ok, but then, if you're up to it, I'd like to continue our discussion."

 "Why? I told you I am not a mutant. There is nothing left to discuss."

 "And again, I ask, how are you so sure of this? You have never been tested for the gene and you are showing some very strong mutant abilities. That to me tells me you might be."

 Starting to get aggravated, "Because I know, ok?" As Frankie said this, her eyes started to glow just a bit and some lights appeared around her hands.

 "Oh, and everyday normal people can do that?" Jubilee asked, pointing to her hands. 

 "Uh, That's never happened before."

 "It hasn't? Seems we have more to talk about than I thought. Let's just get to your place."


	2. Chapter two

Disclaimer: See chapter one

A/N: Well as you can see, still have no idea what to name this thing, but I thought I would get another chapter out to you. If you anyone has an idea, please send them my way. Also, sorry if this seems stupid to anyone. This is my first fic and I am trying to make it at least a little interesting. 

 At Frankie's Place

"Make yourself at home. I'm going to grab a shower and change real quick," Frankie said after showing Jubilee around the apartment. 

"Ok. You mind if I make somethng for us to eat? I'm willing to bet after that little display earlier you're in need of some food."

"Now that you mention it, I am a little hungry. Usually I don't eat till late afternoon. How did you know?"

Jubilee lifted one of her hands and let off a very small paf. "Cause it seems we have more in common than we thought. Go take your shower and we can talk after."

About an hour later, after Frankie's shower and they had lunch, they sat down in the living room to talk about everything. 

"So, what powers do you have, J, other than the pafs that is?" Frankie asked to get the conversation started.

"I also have slight telepathy and I can't be detected by other telepaths or by technological means unless I want to."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive. I just don't understand what's happening to me. Don't mutations usually manifest during adolesence? I'm almost 30. Why is all of this happening now?"

"Sometimes, if a person is under extreme stress, they will manifest latent mutant powers. Any thing life shattering happen recently?"

"No, as a matter of fact, things were finally going right for a change. I've finally been accepted by the other SWAT members, got settled in to this place, and hopefully after last night, found someone I could enjoy spending some time with."

Blushing a bit at the last statement, "Well, it might just be that you pick up on the powers of other mutants around you. You said your hands never glowed like that before. That's the first sign I had that I was a mutant. When did the empathy and stealth start?"

"Not really sure, to tell the truth. Not that long ago, maybe within the last few years. But what you were saying about picking up on other's powers. Not sure that is what is happening. I've been around other mutants before and nothing happened."

"Could just be you're a late bloomer. Either that, or you were under stress at that time, and you are finally at the ending stages of your manifestation. Although you seem to have manifested in the opposite way I did. I got my pafs first, then the other two powers showed up. I know someone that may have some answers for you, but he's in New York. Not sure how much help he could be anyway."

Just then, the phone started ringing. "Wonder who that could be. I'm supposed to be off-duty today," Frankie said as she got up to answer it. 

"Hello."

"Is this Francis Johnson?"

"Yes. Is this Captain Jones? Is something wrong?"

"I need to see you immediately in my office. Seems one of your teammates saw you using mutant abilities at a cafe downtown this morning. You know mutants are not allowed on the police force, let alone on a SWAT team."

"Sir, I'll be there as soon as I can. Is the person sure it was me they saw?"

"Yes, he was quite certain it was you. You hadn't even changed out of uniform yet."

"I was at the cafe this morning, sir, but nothing out of the ordinary happened while I was there," Frankie said, while starting to get a little aggrivated. Her hands were beginning to glow slightly, letting Jubilee know that this call wasn't exactly a good one.

"Well, we need to get to the bottom of this. We need you to come down here and submit to a blood test to prove you are not the person this officer claims he saw. If you test negative for the X-factor gene, then you have nothing to worry about. After all, you did need to take that test when you signed up for the force, right?"

"Well sir, since I am former military, I was exempt from that test. Personnel should have received my medical file from the Air Force a while ago."

"No matter. Just get down here ASAP and take the test. That is all," the captain said as he hung up, not letting Frankie try to argue about it anymore. 

"I take it someone saw you this morning," Jubilee commented as Frankie hung up the receiver. "Sorry, couldn't help but know that wasn't good news you were receiving. What did they say?"

"Oh, just that I have to go down to the station for a blood test to prove I am not a mutant, and we both know how well that will go over. Plus, with my hands glowing everytime I get a little upset lately, they won't have to do that test. This is just like what happened in the Air Force. As soon as I got used to the lifestyle, something happened that I couldn't control to take all that away. Is it my fault I was born like this? All I want to do is help people in some kind of official way, and everytime I try, something happens and I have lose the opportunity." 

"Well, there are ways you can still help. I do have one suggestion though. When you go to headquarters, don't let them do the test. Just tell them you are resigning from the force because you feel that there is no trust on your team. That at the first opportunity, they found a way to try to force you out. That way, you won't be officially branded a mutant."

"So you are saying, hide what I am? Aren't you the one that forced me to believe this about myself?"

"Yes, but the last thing you want is the government to have a file with your abilities. Just leave quietly, and let them assume whatever they want."

"Now you sound like my lawyer when I was being discharged for being gay. He basically had me lying about myself when it was all said and done. Took everything in me not to just stay in and lie about my very nature. But what kind of life would that be? Now, I can date who I want, I just can't get the little bit upset in public, or I may blow something up. What kind of life is that?"

"I told you I know someone that may have some answers to your questions, right? Well, he can also help you get a handle on your powers. I'll go with you and help you learn. Believe it or not, life is not over for you. I have faith that you can and will be able to help people in the way you really want. You just have to do it in a slightly different way."

"Ok, let me get tie up my loose ends here, then I will go with ya to see this friend of yours that you think can help me. I'm not saying I will stay there long, but I will at least give it a try."

"Well, that's all I can ask of ya."


	3. Chapter three

Disclaimer: Kitty and Jubilee belong to Marvel. Frankie belongs to me. Affrimation belongs to Savage Garden. 

A/N: I'm still stuck about the name of the story, but I think I have a code name for Frankie. Thanks to Cris-X for the suggestions. Also please review (never thought I would be saying that). Let me know if I am taking this in the right direction. If you don't want to post it here, email me at buck44105@aol.com. Just make sure you put it's about this fic in the subject line. 

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Chapter 3

Next Morning around 7:00

Frankie decided even though she lost her position on the force, she was not going to do what she did when she was discharged from the Air Force and get out of shape again, so she went out to run her usual 5 miles at the local park. As she was nearing the end of her run, she thought she heard some familiar voices. Slowing down, she focused her hearing on them. 

'Hehehe, J and Kitty decided to come out to do some exercising of their own, it sounds like. Hmmm wonder if I can sneak up on them.'

So Frankie took her thoughts off of trying to sneak up on the two by singing in her head. 

'I believe the sun should never set upon an argument 

I believe we place our happiness in other people's hands

I believe that junk food tastes so good because it's bad for you

I believe your parents did the best job they knew how to do 

I believe that beauty magazines promote low self esteem 

I believe I'm loved when I'm completely by myself alone 

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned 

I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned 

I believe the grass is more greener on the other side 

I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye 

I believe you can't control or choose your sexuality 

I believe that trust is more important than monogamy 

I believe that your most attractive features are your heart and soul 

I believe that family is worth more than money or gold 

I believe the struggle for financial freedom is unfair 

I believe the only ones who disagree are millionaires 

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned 

I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned 

I believe the grass is more greener on the other side 

I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye 

I believe forgiveness is the key to your unhappiness 

I believe that wedded bliss negates the need to be undressed 

I believe that God does not endorse TV evangelists 

I believe in love surviving death into eternity 

I believe in Karma what you give is what you get returned 

I believe you can't appreciate real love until you've been burned 

I believe the grass is more greener on the other side 

I believe you don't know what you've got until you say goodbye'

"So, where were ya last night? You got in pretty late. I know you were meeting that girl you met at the bar in the morning. Did you guys decide to make a day of it?" Kitty asked Jubilee.

All of a sudden, Jubilee started singing, not knowing how the song popped into her head. 

"Whatcha singing Jubes?" asked Kitty. 

"Don't know. This song just popped into my head. Must be something Frankie had me listening to last night."

About the time Jubilee finished saying that, she felt someone grab her from behind. Instinct took over and she flipped whoever it was over her shoulder. 

"Guess that teaches me to sneak up on her," joked Frankie as she got up and dusted herself off. 

"Shit Frankie, you could have whistled or something. You know how quiet you can be."

"I was trying to sneak up on ya. Wanted to see if I could do it. By the way, anyone tell ya you have a beautiful singing voice? You sound better than the voice I had going in my head anyway."

"Ah so that's how ya did it. That also explains how I didn't sense ya coming up too. All I picked up was the song. So, what ya doing up and out this early in the morning? Thought after last night, with the training and all, you would sleep in."

"Yeah well, old habits die hard. I usually get up every morning and run 5 miles. Just because I am not on SWAT anymore, doesn't mean I can't stay in shape."

"Training?" Kitty suddenly asked, not knowing what had happened to Frankie and Jubilee the morning before. 

"Well, it seems I'm a mutant. Found out the hard way yesterday. Jubes was nice enough to help me try to teach me to keep it a little under control so I could would stop glowing." As Frankie said that, she held her hand, palm up and produced a small paf. "Seems I have one of the same powers as her. The other powers are stealth, enhanced hearing, and slight empathy."

"Wow, so that is what you were up to last night. And here I thought you finally found someone, Jubes."

Wrapping her arms around Jubilee's waist, "Who said she didn't? I'm somewhat of a quick learner, so we had time for a little fun too."

"She doesn't need to know everything, Frankie. Besides, thought you told me last night you don't kiss and tell."

"I don't, but you just did," Frankie said, teasing Jubes to get her to blush. Which she has been doing quite a bit of since she met Frankie. 

"I swear you do that on purpose, just to see me turn all red. So, what are your plans for today?"

"Thought I would start looking for a new job. Can't pay for my apartment on what I'm going to be getting from unemployment. Luckily, my captain bought the line about me not trusting my team members as my reason for quitting the squad and didn't label me a mutant, so I at least have the chance of getting hired elsewhere. Not too many places will hire people labled that, whether it is true or not. I still don't think it is fair though. Seems I was destined to work retail. Only other thing I am good at besides the military or police work."

"Your right, it's not fair, but I thought you were going to go to New York with me to meet some friends of mine. To help you get better control of your powers. Have you changed your mind overnight or something?"

"No, just not ready to move on just yet. I'd like to get you a little better before I go traipsing across the country with ya."

With that statement, Jubilee pulled away from Frankie and gave her a hurt look.

"Ugh, guess that came out wrong. What I meant to say is I am not ready to share ya with a household of people quite yet. I just met ya and then the next morning, my world turned upside down. Give it a few days for everything to sink in. I just need a little time is all."

"Guess I can understand that. Plus we can always work together on some small things to get you used to the idea of having these powers. By the way, I see one of the things we practiced yesterday worked. You even startled Kitty when you came up, and that is even harder to do than sneaking up on me. She's a trained ninja."

"Wow. You a mutant too, Kitty? If so, what can you do?" Frankie asked Kitty so she could be included in the conversation.

"I can phase through things. Walls, ceilings, floors. When I phase through anything electrical, I short it out if I am not careful."

"Sounds pretty useful. See this is what I don't understand. Some mutant powers would be a big help to the police force, but they can't see past their ignorance of things they don't know to see it. What Kitty can do would be a great help in hostage situations. Same with your telepathy, J. Yet all they can see is that mutants are different. I swear, humans just want some reason to discriminate against people. Either it's the color of their skin, religion, or sexual preferance. Most things that people can't control. It just makes me so mad. I just wish there was a way to show them that we are people too."

"The best way we can change people is by our actions. Prove to everyone that being different isn't always a bad thing. It will take time. We may not even see the change in our lifetimes, but it will come," Kitty commented

"Ok, enough with all this serious talk. I'm getting hungry. Why don't we go find something to eat?" Jubilee said to break all the tension.

"Why don't we all just head over to my place. It's not that far from here, and I make some mean pancakes," Frankie suggested.

Kitty looked at her watch, "Sorry wish I could join you two lovebirds, but I have class soon. Maybe next time. Jubes, mind walking me to my car?"

Sensing Kitty wanted to talk to her alone, Jubilee replied, "Sure, no problem. Frankie, I'll be right back."

As soon as they were at Kitty's car, she turned to Jubilee and said, "It's good to finally see ya happy. After all you went through, you deserve it, but becareful. You don't know anything about her. For all you know, she could be one of the bad guys trying to get to the X-men through you."

"Trust me on this one, Kitty. That girl is totally innocent. She isn't hiding anything. Don't think she can from me. Don't forget, even though my telepathy may not be in the league of Jean's or the professor's, I can still tell Frankie is one of the good guys. She has no psi-shieds. She can't hide anything from me, not that I would go looking. She brodcasts louder than Wolverine when he is in one of his moods. By the way, I was meaning to ask you, how did you know I was gay? I thought I had hid that from everyone."

"I didn't till I saw the look you gave Frankie when you realized who she was. We went to that bar the other day cause I gave up on trying to fix you up. I can only take so much of guys hitting on me everytime I turn around. I needed a break. At least Logan doesn't have to worry about gutting any more guys you might bring home."

"Guess not. Just hope he doesn't try to gut Frankie the minute he meets her. She has been through so much herself. The sad part is, only recently had it anything to do with her being a mutant. Now it looks like she is out of the frying pan and into the fire. She seems to be taking it well though."

As the two are talking at the car, a small group closes in on Frankie in the park. 

"Is that the mutie that took you position on the SWAT team?" asked one of the brutes in the gang.

"Yeah, and I am going to make her pay for it. She took what should have been mine," answered the guy that seemed to be the leader.

As he said that, Frankie realized she wasn't alone anymore. She tried to get away, but just then the group pounced on her. 

"Well, mutie, seems you don't have the team to support ya anymore. They finally found out what I have been trying to tell them all along. You never belonged on the team in the first place, and now I will make sure you can't steal any more jobs from normal people again. You don't deserve to even breathe the same air as us. It's time you paid for what you did to me."

"And what is it you seem to think I did? Earn my place on SWAT? I didn't even know at the time I was a mutant. If I did, do you honestly think I would have even chanced joining the force, let alone SWAT?"

"Lies, that is all you know how to do. Now it's time to teach you a lesson."

With that, the mob started to attack Frankie. She did her best to fight them off, but there were too many. A few feet away, Jubilee felt something was going on back in the park and decided to do a scan to check on her. 

"Oh shit. They are after Frankie. I have to go help her," Jubilee cried out to Kitty and ran back to where she left Frankie in the park.

"Who's after Frankie?"

"Some of her old coworkers from the police force. Seems she made a few waves when she was promoted to SWAT."

As soon as they got to where they had left her, the group decided they had punished Frankie enough and ran back into the park. 

"Frankie, oh God please be ok. I should have never left you alone here."

As soon as Frankie heard Jubilee cry out, she tried to sit up only to be forced back down from the pain from the beating. As she laid back down, Jubilee ran her hands up and down, trying to figure out the damage.

"Looks like a couple broken ribs, broken arm, and a cucussion. Why didn't you call for help?"

"Happened too fast. One minute they were yelling, the next, they were on top of me. Didn't even have enough time to power up some pafs. Just get me home and I'll be fine. Just need some rest."

"Oh no. We have to get you to a hospital. At the very least, you need that arm set and we need to make sure you haven't punctured a lung."

"No doctors. I've been through worse than this before. I just need to get to my apartment. I have some things there to fix myself up with."

Against their better judgement, Kitty and Jubilee helped get Frankie to Kitty's car and to the apartment so they could fix her up and let her rest. Once they had her settled, they sat at the kitchen table to decide what to do next.

"We need to get her out of here. This is just the beginning for her. Things will just go downhill from here now," Kitty stated.

"I know, but I have this sudden feeling that she needs to be here. That she needs to finish whatever just started today. After she rests, I'm going to start training her with her powers. I need your help with her hand-to-hand training. Will you help?"

"Damn, you are just as stubborn as Logan. She needs to get out of here, not further into the fight. Plus, where can we train her at. If we do it in the park, everyone will know. And both her and our apartments are too small for this type of thing."

"Just leave the location to me. I know of a few places. Besides, all this is really up to her. When she wakes up, we all need to sit and have a long talk."

"Agreed. Now, I need to get going. I feel bad leaving with her hurt, but I have a test in History that I really can't miss. Will you be fine here alone?"

"Yeah. If anything happens, I'll call. Thanks for everything Kitty. I have a feeling this is just the beginning."


	4. Chapter four

Disclaimer: I don't own Jubilee, Kitty, or the Xavier School, Marvel does. No use in suing me since all I have are bills anyway. If you want those, all you have to do is ask. I will gladly give those away. 

A/N: Guess I should have said this in my notes for the first chapter. This is my first fanfic. I was never really into comic books as a kid, but for some strange reason lately I have been strangely.... well the only word to come to mind would be obsessed by the X-men. That seems a bit strong, but it's the only thing I can come up with right at the moment. Since I am not that knowledgeable in the Marvel Universe, I figured it might be best if I wrote this as an AU story. If you had read this far, then you already guessed that. Jubilee is around 25 or so in this story. Both Jubilee and Kitty have left the X-men to search out "normal" lives. Guess nothing is normal when it concerns these people. Please be kind and review. All I ask is no flames. Thank you and on with the story. 

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Chapter 4

Later, that evening

Frankie woke up with one thought on her mind, 'So this is what it feels like to get hit by a Mack truck?' After laying for a moment, considering the wisdom of trying to move, she decided to see if it was even possible. 

"Ok, so that was sooo not a good idea," she said out loud as she fell back to the bed from the pain in her ribs. As soon as Jubilee heard her trying to get up, she was in the room with her.

"What in the hell did you think you were trying to do? You could have hurt yourself worse. Try that again and I will have to tie ya to the bed."

"I don't think I will be ready for that for a while yet. Besides, I just met ya a few days ago, don't you think you are moving kinda fast?" Frankie joked.

"Don't even try to make a joke out of this. I was really scared out there for you today. When I ran up and you were lying there, I thought that was it. I just met ya, and you were already gone."

"Takes more than that to take me out. I do feel a little better than I did when you brought me here. Thanks for not taking me to a hospital. I so did not want to have to explain to a doctor why I had a mob kick the shit out of me."

"I can kinda understand that. Let me take a look and see how everything is."

With that Jubilee checked out Frankie's ribs and arm. "Looks like I was mistaken about the broken bones. Either that, or you have a healing factor too."

"Nope, I actually take some time to heal from some things. I didn't hear or feel anything break during the fight, but then again, I wasn't really listening for it either. Can't believe that asshole thinks I cheated my way onto the team. What an idiot."

"Yeah, but some people are like that. Can't face the fact they aren't good enough, so they try to bring you down to their level. Don't let guys like that bring you down. There are some good people out there too."

"Oh I know that. Listen, let's quit talking about this. Nothing is going to change. I'd rather talk about something more pleasant."

"Sounds good to me. Whatcha wanna talk about?"

"When did you realize you were a mutant?"

"Right before my parents were killed, I was out at the mall shoplifting with a friend when all of a sudden some of the security guards caught on to what we were doing. My friend and I split up and stupid me ran into a dead-end alley. I knew for sure I was caught that time. All of sudden my hands started to glow. Talk about those guys taking off fast. They were all afraid that I was either going to hurt them, or infect them. Sorta freaked me out too. The only time I had seen another mutant was on TV. I didn't tell anyone, because I didn't know how they would react. I didn't even tell my parents. I knew they wouldn't be able to handle it."

"Damn, that is a hard way to find out. Guess I am glad you were there to help me. I'm kinda ok with everything else, but when that happened yesterday morning, I was a little freaked. How did you learn to keep it under control?"

"That was actually kind of easy for me. I was always good at hiding my feelings, so hiding that was easy for me too. The hard part was hiding the glowing eyes. That's when I took to having a pair of sunglasses on me all the time. Although that made my parents think I had started doing drugs. I actually came home one day to my mom searching my room for my 'stash'. It was too funny."

"I can imagine. Good thing I don't live with my mom anymore. I think she would be understanding, but then again, she kinda freaked when I told her I was gay. Had no choice but to tell her that though. How else would I explain why I was getting kicked out of the Air Force? Uh mom, I know I did really well in basic, but I decided that this isn't the life for me and got myself booted. Don't think she would have bought that."

"So you found out you were gay while you were in the service? Bet that was hard to handle."

"Yes and no. If we would have been a little smarter about it all, we wouldn't have been caught. But stupid us carried out our relationship right in my dorm room. My suite-mate heard us in the shower one day and reported us. I had a chance to stay in, but I thought I was in love. What an idiot I was. By the time I realized what type of person she was, I had already lost a potential career and had moved across the country with her. But, that was in the past, and I learned from that mistake."

"What kind person was she?"

"The kind that liked to talk with her fists, and stupid me thought I could change her. Even stayed with her after she almost killed me. I still can't believe she was the one to leave, not me. You think I would have been smarter than that."

"Well, love makes you do stupid things."

"What about you? How did you figure out you were gay?"

"When I was in school in Massechusets, I had a classmate that I totally didn't get along with. Unfortunately, she was also the person that my teacher set me up with for tutoring in math. One day we were in my room studying, when I started to get a funny feeling. I looked up and noticed her watching me. I asked her what was wrong, and the next thing I know, she is kissing me. The part that really surprised me was I was kissing her back. We ended up being a couple till we graduated. Then she moved on to bigger and better things, while I decided to just get out of town for a while. I was starting to miss California, so I went out there for a bit. I miss her, but we are still friends. I see her every once in a while when I go back to New York to visit my surrogate family out there."

"Glad to hear your first time was good. Gives me hope that not all relationships are doomed to fail. So, tell me about this place in New York you want to take me to."

"Well, have you ever heard of Xavier's School for Higher Learning?"

"Yeah, it was one of the places I applied to when I was graduating high school, before I decided to join the Air Force. It was the only one to turn me down. Said I didn't quite meet the requirements for enrollment. Why do you ask?"

"Oh that is just too funny. That is where I grew up. Well, till they moved the younger kids out to Massechusetts. I guess since you hadn't manifested when you applied, the Prof didn't know you were a mutant. That should make things a little easier once we get there. He would have already had a background check run on ya. All he would need to do is check the last few years. Oh, and I though we would stick around here for a while before heading out there. I just have a feeling we are needed here more right at the moment."

"Thought you were a telepath, not clarovoyant. What makes you think I want to stick around here after what happened this morning?"

"Thought you might want to finish what was started, and no I don't mean revenge. I mean changing some peoples minds around here. I may call to the school to get some backup, should we need it, but as of right now, I think the three of us can handle the situation."

"What does Kitty think about being dragged into this? I had the feeling she was trying to leave all this kind of stuff behind. Same with you. Isn't that why both of you left the school to begin with?"

"What all do you know about the school?"

"Just that it is one of the top places educational wise, and a place to go to grow your skills. When I applied, I thought that meant academically, but since then I found out it meant honing your mutant powers. You still haven't answered my question though. How does Kitty feel about all this?"

"She thinks we should get you to the mansion as soon as possible. Mostly to make sure you weren't seriously hurt today. Plus to evaluate how powerful you are. Right now it seems you are a little under my power wise, but that could just be because you aren't really in control of them. Only way to really find out is to push you to your limits, which you are not in the shape for right this moment. That gives me a little time to find somewhere here so we can see what all you can do. To tell the truth, I am a little excited about it. This will be the first time I get to teach someone about their powers because they are so closely related to mine. One thing we need to find out is how close."

"So you plan on finding a place here in town for us to train in? Won't that be a little dangerous?"

"With all the abandoned warehouses around this town, I don't think so. I just need to find one that is out of the way that we basically can destroy without anyone really caring. That is going to be the hard part of it all. Till then, we will have to concentrate on small things that we can work on either here or at my place. First thing we should work on is getting you some psi-shields. That should also help you with your stealth. One less plane of existence you have to worry about hiding on."

"Well, do you mind starting tomorrow? Suddenly I am really tired."

"Suddenly? I am surprised you haven't passed out on me a little sooner. Get some rest. Either Kitty or I will be here when you wake up."


	5. Chapter five

Disclaimer: See page one for all your disclaimer needs.

A/N: Sorry this is so short, and took so long to post, but with the holidays, it was kind of hard to write. I think I have picked a title for this thing. It is inspired by one of my favorite poems. Please review and let me know what you think of the way this thing is going. 

Chapter 5

The next morning

Frankie wakes up feeling slightly better and decides she has had enough of lying in bed for the moment, so she gets up and walks into the kitchen, making noise so as not to scare whoever may be in there. To her great relief, she found Jubilee in there making breakfast. She walked up to her and put her arms around Jubes waist. Jubilee turned around to see how Frankie is doing and was met with a kiss. 

"Hmmm that was a better hello than yesterday morning.What are you doing up so early? How are ya feeling?"

"I'm feeling fine. I usually get up around this time every morning so I can do my running. Thought I told ya that yesterday."

"You did, but I thought since you were hurt, you would sleep in. You can't go running with those bruised ribs. Besides, what if that mob is out there again today?"

"I've done my run with worse than bruised ribs, and they won't be there today because they won't be expecting me. Most likely they think I am hurt worse than I am, or else they wouldn't have stopped when they did. If it will make you feel better, you can come along with me and afterwards we can swing by the warehouse district to try to find one that will work for our training. Maybe we will be lucky and find one with some living space so we can live and train in the same place."

"How about you skip the run today, just to put my mind at ease? I would feel better if you waited a few days before you went running again. The warehouse search sounds good though. Let me finish making breakfast, then we can get ready and walk down there."

"I really don't see the big deal about me running. I don't want to skip any days because it will be way to easy to just stop doing my runs altogether. I'll lay off today, cause you asked so nicely, but tomorrow I am doing my five miles."

"You think you will be up for some light training later today? I was thinking of showing you some of the, lets say more unique ways I have of training when I am not in New York. I want to see if they will help you any."

"Sounds like fun. When did you plan on doing the training?"

"When Kitty gets back from her class. She only has one today, but it lasts for around four hours. That should give us plenty of time to see if we can find a warehouse. If we don't, then we will just work on building your shields today."

"Sounds like a plan. Now, lets eat. I'm starved."

"Well, since you haven't eaten since at least yesterday morning, I would think you would be hungry. Just don't expect this to be a gormet meal. I am not the best cook in the world, but it is really hard to mess up eggs and sausage."

Later that day

"Wow, can you believe the warehouse we found? It is perfect for us. Plus it has a living space attached. Wait till Kitty sees it." Frankie was exclaiming as they walked into Jubilee's and Kitty's apartment after they secured the lease on an abandoned warehouse in a secluded part of town.

"Wait till Kitty sees what?" asked Kitty as she walked into the room.

"We found a warehouse for our training. The great part is, there is a living space above it with three bedrooms and two and a half baths. Talk about perfect. That way we can also save money on rent. Now all I need is to find a job so I can put my share into the lease payments, and we will be set," Frankie replied.

"Who said you had to put anything into it? Don't worry about it Frankie. It's being taken care of. The important thing is we have a place to train you. That way, you can be better prepared if that mob tracks you down again," Jubilee told Frankie. 

"I don't like not contributing my part. Guess it's just the way I was raised. When I can, I will pay you back for all of this."

"You can pay me back by getting better control of your powers so I don't have to worry about leaving you alone. I don't know how it happened so quick, but I care about what happens to you. I can't imagine what I would do if what happened yesterday happens again. I was afraid I lost you, just as soon as I found you yesterday morning. I want to make sure if I'm not there to protect you, that you can watch out for yourself. And don't give me the 'I used to be a cop, I can take care of myself' line either. If there are enough people, even you can't take them all."

"I wasn't about to give you that line. I worry about you too when you aren't with me. How did you worm your way into my heart that fast anyway?"

Kitty sensed that Frankie and Jubilee had something serious to discuss about their relationship, so she quietly went back into her bedroom. She didn't think she would be missed for the moment anyway.

"So, you feel the same way? I've heard of love at first sight before, but I never thought it would happen to me," Jubilee said as she made her way into Frankie's arms. 

With that, all conversation stopped as thier lips met and they showed each other how they felt. 


	6. Chapter six

Disclaimer: Next verse, same as the first. Basically anything you recognize as being Marvel's is theirs. Frankie is mine. Ask nicely and I'll let ya borrow her. I just want to know what you are going to do with her. (Hint, hint, you ever going to let me know Chris-x?)

A/N: First off, thank you to all (three) of you that have reviewed so far. The rest of you, what are ya waiting for? If you don't like something in the story, let me know. If I am totally embarrassing myself here, it would be good to know now, rather than when I hit chapter 20 or so. Second, you might have noticed another title change. That is because this thing has kinda taken a life of it's own and the old title just didn't fit. Things are kinda going in a way I didn't expect. Should be some more action, and there has been a slight (ok guess you can say major) change in one of the characters. Please don't flame me too bad for changing things midstory. I just can't help where this is going right now. Now, on with the show. 

__________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 6

About one week later

Frankie and Jubilee had just finished one of thier usual grueling training sesions, so it was no surprise to Kitty that they were asleep together on the couch when she got home.

"Oh they look so, right, together. It's almost as if they were two halves of one soul, that has found it's missing part."

As soon as she finished that thought, Jubilee shot up, almost in a daze and said, "The time for the battle is near. The soul must be prepared. Find the watcher. He will know what to do." At this Jubilee fell back down.

"What the heck? Jubilee, wake up!! What do you mean the time for battle is near? And who the heck is the watcher?"

At the sound of Kitty yelling, both Frankie and Jubilee woke up. "Why ya yelling Kitty? Battle, watcher? Sounds like an episode of Buffy." Jubilee said tiredly.

"You just sat up and said the time for battle is near. That we need to take the soul to the watcher to get prepared. What the heck did you mean by that?"

"Huh? I didn't say anything. Last thing I remember is sitting on the couch with Frankie. Next thing I know, you are yelling about battles and watchers?"

"Well, you were sort of in a trance, but what the heck did all that mean? And where is this soul we have to prepare?" 

"I think I may be able to answer that. I kind of kept a couple of things from you two when we met. I'm sorry, but I felt, no I somehow knew not to tell you all of it. Jubilee didn't seem to remember me when we met again at the bar, so that kind of led me to believe she had no memory of our first meeting. I was warned that might happen. That one or both of us would forget what happened that day. Basically, WE are the soul. We were bonded about 10 years ago when we first met." Frankie said as a start of an explanation.

"Whoa, wait a second. What do you mean we met before, and that we are bonded?" Jubilee asked Frankie a little nervously.

"Didn't you wonder just a little why we seemed to click right away, even after you told me yourself you don't get close to people quickly? Why you always seem to know exactly how I am feeling, even if I am miles away from you?"

"I thought I just got lucky for once."

"Well, there is that too. It was just dumb luck that we met the first time. You and this guy named Bishop were at Lackland for my graduation parade. I still don't know why you were there, but it seemed important to him that we talk. When the two of us shook hands after meeting, you went into some sort of spell. I don't really remember everything that you said, cause about a second after your eyes glazed over, I blacked out. That guy Bishop should know what is going on though."

"Why would Bishop drag me down to Texas to see a military parade? I was never much into things like that?"

"From what he told me, you had just recently been kidnapped, and the Professor thought it would be a good idea for you to get out of the mansion for a while. As to why he dragged you to my graduation, you will have to ask him that. I have no clue why he was even there, let alone how he knew me by name the instant he saw me. I only saw him one other time. It was about two years after I was discharged from the Air Force. You remember I told you I was in an abusive relationship, right?"

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with Bishop? I thought you told me that relationship was with the person you got busted with in the service."

"It was. Something happened one day, I still don't know what happened that set her off, but by the end of it, I was in the hospital with a broken back, among other injuries."

"Well, that explains why a couple bruised ribs don't seem like much to ya. But you still didn't explain what Bishop had to do with it all."

"Well, if you would be patient. It's hard for me to talk about that time in my life. I had to go through so much. I basically had to learn how to live all over again. You have any idea what life in a wheelchair is like?"

"Wheelchair? You were paralyzed?"

"Not was, am. I'm sorry you guys. I really should have told ya, but the last thing I wanted was pity from you."

"But, you can walk? How in the hell can you walk and be paralyzed? Plus, you still haven't told us what Bishop has to do with any of this."

"Let me start with Bishop's involvement first. He somehow found out I was in the hospital. I still don't know how he found out, or why he would care, but shortly after I was told I wouldn't walk again, he showed up. Somehow, he convinced me to go to my therapy sessions. Once I finished with those, and was able to leave the hospital, he helped me get into school, then convinced me to take Bio-engineering as a major. As to how I can walk, that is where my schooling comes into this. I decided, for my senior project, I was going to create a set of braces that would enable me to walk. I was able to make them so they would be hooked up to my spine, right above where the injury was, so they could get the messages from my brain that the muscles of my leg should have been receiving. Without these braces, I can't walk, stand, or do anything that would involve the use of my legs."

"OK, but why can't we see or feel your braces then? Did you find some way to make them so they could be implanted into your legs?" Kitty asked, finally finding her tongue in the conversation.

"No, they are not implanted. I have a friend from college who was also in engineering. He created a type of image inducer that, well, it basically hides the braces from view from everyone." With that, Frankie hit a button on her watch and her braces came into view. 

"So how were you able to hide the fact you were paralyzed when you joined the police force?"

"Had another friend go into the hospital database and erase all records of my injury."

"Wow, this is a lot to take in all at once. I still don't understand why you didn't tell us though. Especially after what happened last week. You could have injured your legs, and we would have never known because you wouldn't have been able to feel it." Jubilee said, looking at Frankie's legs, making sure they weren't hurt.

"After you two left me to rest, I checked them out myself. Don't forget, I had just met both of you two days ago. I didn't know how you would react to finding out I'm a cripple."

With that, Jubilee gave Frankie a dirty look. "The Professor is a paraplegic. That wouldn't have mattered one bit to us. You should have trusted us."

While Frankie and Jubilee were arguing about why Frankie didn't tell them, Kitty was lost in thought. Suddenly, her head jerked up and she interrupted the two. "I think I know how Bishop knew you were hurt. You said you and Jubilee are bonded? That means you have a psi-link with each other, right?"

"I think so, I never really thought about it, why?" asked Frankie, wondering where Kitty was going with this.

"About the time you said this happened, Jubilee had some type of attack. For some reason one day, she fell to the ground, yelling about a pain in her back. Once we got her to the medlab, we found nothing wrong. She insisted there was the pain, and that she couldn't feel her legs." Kitty explained.

"I think I remember that. It was the weirdest thing. I was in the Danger room, training, when all of a sudden, I couldn't move my legs at all. No matter what I did, they wouldn't do a damn thing for me. I had just started the session, so I knew it wasn't from that. We never did figure out what happened. It just cleared up on it's own about a month later."

"That's about when I was allowed to leave the hospital."

"About two days after Jubes attack, Bishop suddenly had to go out of town on some personal business. Guess we know where he went now. We just don't know why he suddenly felt the need to go help you. Guess that is one more thing we have to ask him. First being what the hell happened the day of your graduation. Guess we better give him a call and get some answers." 


	7. Chapter seven

Disclaimer: Usual disclaimers apply here.

A/N: Sorry this is so short, but I wanted to get something out. I should be writing more later. Please be kind and review. 

Chapter 7

Kitty called the mansion and told Bishop what had happened that afternoon. When he found out, he told her that the explanation is something best done in person and he would be out there by the next day at the latest. After she got off the phone, she went looking for Frankie and Jubilee. They had basically been arguing off and on since Frankie made her announcement. She finally found Frankie out on an old loading dock of the warehouse, in a wheelchair. 

"Why did you take your braces off?" Kitty asked Frankie.

"I decided to show Jubilee what my life is like without the braces. Besides, I need a break from them anyway. I have basically been in them for about a week now, non-stop." Frankie thought for a minute then said to Kitty, "She is really taking all this hard. I'm really worried about her. I thought she would be able to handle this. Was I wrong, or is this just too much at one time?"

"She'll come around. One thing Jae hates is to see the people she loves hurt. The fact that she can't do anything to help you has got to be eating her up inside. Plus the fact you kept it from her makes her think you didn't trust her. Oh hell, this whole thing is a lot for any one. It's no wonder she reacted like she did. Where is she now?"

"When she saw me in my chair, she grabbed your keys and took off. I am kind of tracing her, but with that psy-stealth she has, it's kinda hard. I have somewhat of an advantage over telepaths in that we are bonded, but she is trying to block that too right now. God, Kitty, what if I totally screwed this up. It will tear me apart if she hates me now."

"Give her time. She just needs to come to terms with this." 

"If you say so. I guess you would know how she reacts better than I do. Did you get a hold of Bishop? What did he say?"

"He said he would explain what is happening in person. He is on his way here now. I would love to know what it is about you that has him jumping at just the thought of you being in trouble. You should have heard how he reacted when I told him what happened with that mob at the park. If I didn't know better, I would have sworn that I was talking to Logan about Jubes instead of Bishop about you. You sure you didn't know him before you met in at your graduation?"

"Positive. I think I would remember someone like him. In the time I got to know him when I was in the hospital, he became like another brother to me. We have kind of kept in touch since then. He even came out for my college graduation. It will be good to see him again."

"He basically said the same thing. I think he misses ya."

"I miss him too. He really helped me come to terms with my disability. I am really sorry I deceived you about it. I should have told you guys, or at least Jubes about it."

"That's right you should have told me," Jubilee said from the doorway. "Why couldn't you trust me not to pity you? How could you even think I would feel that way? I thought you knew me better than that, John-John."

"John-John? You starting to remember?" Frankie asked Jubilee.

"Bits and pieces. Mostly all that comes to mind is chasing you around the base for a day. There is still this big gap. I can feel the link now though. Especially since you have been trying to get into my head since I left."

"I'm sorry about that. I was worried about you, with the way you took off and all. I was afraid you would go looking for trouble."

"Damn, you do know her pretty well," Kitty said with a chuckle. "I told you she would be back, to give her time."

"Yeah, just give me some time to come to grips with this. It's hard to think part of what I thought I knew about you was wrong. It's really hard to just sit here and not go after the bitch that put you in that chair. I know it was some time ago, but dammit, I can't stand the thought of you being hurt."

"I've forgiven her some time ago, Jae. I'm now asking you to do the same. It wasn't her fault. I knew better than to fight back, but I had just had enough."

"Don't you even go there. It was not your fault. Did you ask to be beaten?"

"No, but I stayed with her. That is what I blame myself for. The first time she raised a hand to me, I should have been out of there." 

"Yeah, you should have, but you have nothing to worry about now. I'm here now and I won't let anything happen to ya again if I can help it."

"I love ya Jae."

"Love ya too, John-John." 


	8. Chapter eight

Chapter 8  
  
The next morning  
  
Jubilee woke up and went to check on Frankie. Ever since she found out what that Frankie was a parapeligic, she had the urge to not let anything happen to her. When she got to Frankie's room, she found her struggling to get in her chair.  
  
'Man, to think she has lived with this for close to eight years now, and she still has some problems. Makes me appreciate the Professor a little more.  
  
"You know I can hear your thoughts, right?" Frankie asked Jubilee as she finally got settled.  
  
"Damn, forgot about that. Why aren't you wearing your braces?"  
  
"We have to go pick up Bishop from the airport. It'll be easier to get through there in my chair. Have you ever had to explain why you can't go through a metal detector?"  
  
"Oops, forgot about that. Are you going to be ok with Bishop seeing ya this way?"  
  
"Don't forget, he was with me at the hospital right after it happened. He's seen me way worse than this."  
  
"Yeah I guess he has. I'm sorry I was such a bitch about everything yesterday. You kinda took me by surprise. I will admit, it hurts to think you didn't trust how I would react, but I can understand it somewhat. You know if there is anyway I could change things, I would. I'm worried about what will happen if we have to fight."  
  
"I can handle myself just fine, even in this thing."  
  
"Stubborn as always. Oh, Kitty has been asking me all night to explain why I suddenly started calling you John-John. Since I am still a little unclear about some things, I thought it would be best if you explained it to her. Is that ok with you?"  
  
"Oh, you remember following me around the base all weekend, but not why you felt the need for the nickname?" Frankie teased Jubilee a little. "You started calling me that because you said Johnson just didn't fit me."  
  
"Well, that is what everyone else was calling you. Well everyone but Bishop, but Francis is just too formal for my tastes."  
  
"Yours and mine both. That's why I usually go by Frankie. I just can't get Lucas to call me that though."  
  
"Lucas? I didn't realize you two were that close. Even everyone at the mansion calls him Bishop. Not too many people even realize he has a first name."  
  
"Well, when you have someone that basically does everything for you for months, you become kinda close. Plus I felt I was back in catholic school, calling him Bishop."  
  
From out in the hallway the two heard Kitty yell, "We need to get going if we are going to get to the airport on time to meet his plane. If you two are coming, get a move on."  
  
"You know, the more I think about it, the more I feel it would be best if just you and Kitty go. I'll be fine here alone. I just need some time by myself," Frankie told Jubilee.  
  
Reaching out through their link, Jubilee felt something was wrong. "I don't think it's a very good idea to leave you alone right now. I'm sure Kitty won't mind going alone. I can stay and we can talk, or do some training if you want to do that instead."  
  
"Seriously Jae, I just want to be left alone right now. I promise I won't do anything stupid. Besides, you'd know as soon as I did it anyway."  
  
"Yeah, and I wouldn't be here to stop you. I'll be right back, just sit tight."  
  
After Jubilee explained to Kitty why she and Frankie weren't going to the airport with her, she went back to Frankie's room. When she got there, Jubilee found Frankie back in bed, acting like she was asleep.  
  
"No use acting like you are asleep. I know you aren't. What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, I just want to be alone for a while. Is that too much to ask?"  
  
"It is when I keep getting the feeling something is seriously wrong with you. Please, talk to me. Tell me what's bothering you."  
  
"It's nothing. It just really hurt, having to dredge up all those old memories. Ok, now that you know, will you please just leave me alone?" As Frankie said this to Jubilee, her eyes began to glow.  
  
"Why are you getting mad at me? All I want to do is help."  
  
"You want to know what is wrong? Fine I'll tell you. All I have felt from you since I told you about what happened is pity and worry. I told you that is why I didn't tell you to begin with. I can take care of myself. I have been doing just fine for years now. So just back off and LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!!!" and with that she paffed Jubilee. What happened next amazed both of them. Instead of the paf hitting her, she seemed to absorb it 


	9. Chapter nine

Chapter 9

"Ok, what just happened here?" Frankie asked Jubilee. 

"I have no clue. All I know is I am glad it did happen though. That would have hurt if it had hit me."

"No it wouldn't have. It was all show, not much power. I may be mad at ya, but I don't wanna hurt ya."

"Why are ya mad at me? I worry because I care. I know you can take care of yourself, but that doesn't change the fact that you can't control every situation."

"Neither can you. Gees Jae, you don't know everything I have been through in my life. All you see now is someone in a chair that needs help. I am so much more than that."

"Oh I know. I just don't want you to have to prove it to anyone. I'd feel that way even if you weren't paralyzed. That is just the way I am. But because you are, we have to take certain precautions. That is one reason I got so mad at you for not letting me know sooner. I can't properly train you for anything if I don't know your limitations."

"Who said I need your training? Maybe on controling my powers, but not for fighting. I thought I had proved that to you this past week. I've held my own against you and Kitty plenty of times."

"Yeah, but we could have seriously hurt you, not knowing about the braces. Especially Kitty. If she had phased through one of them, she could have taken them out."

"But she didn't. Can't you see? I am not some helpless thing you have to rescue. I am a very capable adult who can take care of herself."

"I know that. Just letting you know I have your back. Now, do you want to hole up in here all day, or do you want to get a little training in before Kitty and Bishop get back?"

Laughing Frakie replied, "Just let me get my braces on, then you are in for a world of hurt."

About two hours later

Kitty and Bishop arrive at the warehouse to the sound of a battle going on. 

"What in the world is all that noise?" Bishop asked Kitty. 

"Sounds like Jubilee and Frankie are at it again. I just hope they waited till Frankie cooled down some before they started. I have a feeling Jubilee wouldn't have lasted too long if they didn't."

"I heard that!!!" Frankie yelled out to Kitty. 

"Damn, forgot about that hearing of hers. It's almost as good as Logan's." 

"Wow, she has been developing her powers since I saw her last. Only one she had back then was the empathy."

"Oh just wait. Wanna go watch them for a bit?"

"Sure, I want to see how well she is doing."

With that the two walked into the warehouse area and got a bit of a shock. Both Jubilee and Frankie were going at it full tilt, holding nothing back from each other. You almost needed sunglasses to watch the sparring between the two. All of a sudden, Jubilee pushed Frankie back and sent a paf her way that would have knocked her in to next week, had it actually hit her. Instead, just like what happened when Frankie tried to paf Jubilee in the bedroom, Frankie seemed to just absorb it. 

"Damn, you win again. What's the score again, five to three?"

"I think you forgot a couple, but that sounds about right. Wanna take a breather and say hi to our guest?"

"I guess, but don't think I'm letting you off the hook. I still owe you for beating me."

"Hey, you gave as good as you got. I just got lucky a few more times than you did."

Laughing, they both walked over to where Kitty and Bishop were standing.

"Ok, what just happened there? How were you able to absorb that Frankie?" Kitty asked. 

"To be honest, I have no idea. We found out about it earlier today. I got a little steamed and tried to paf Jubes. Instead of it hitting her, she absorbed it. So we decided to see if it was a two-way street. Seems we can't hurt each other, that way at least."

"Feels kinda weird though. Scared me when it first happened."

"Whoa, wait a second. Since when have you been able to do that, Francis?" Bishop asked.

"First off, I have told you time and time again, don't call me Francis. I hate that name. Second, I just found out about a week ago about this. That is when I finally had to admit to myself what you told me all those years ago, Lucas. Still hard to believe though."

"Wait a second. You've known she could possibly be a mutant, and you let her join a mutant-free police force?" Jubilee asked Bishop.

"No I didn't let her do anything. As a matter of fact, I was surprised to find out she was living here. Last I heard, she was in Cleveland, finishing her masters degree."

With that, Kitty, Jubilee and Bishop turned to look at Frankie. She looked down, blushing and tried to explain. "Well, I was bored with school. Then I had a huge blow-out with Mom. I decided I really just needed to be on my own for a while. So I went to my counsler and made arrangements to finish my degree on-line, and moved out here. I really did get my masters, Bishop. Honest, I'm not lying."

"Damn, would you look at that. The totally self-assured Francis Johnson is actually scared of Bishop." Jubilee said, not being able to resist teasing Frankie a little. 

"Well, he did pay for my schooling after all. So I just couldn't exactly not get my degree. I just couldn't stand living in that city anymore. You understand, right Lucas?"

Smiling, Bishop replied, "Yeah. Besides, I was wondering how long it would take before you and your mother finally had it out. But why did you move here, of all places?"

"Something just pulled me here. I can't explain it. I was planning on moving back down to Texas."

"Wait, isn't that where your ex lives?" Jubilee asked.

"I told you before, I have no idea where she is and I have no desire to know either. She is in my past. So quit worrying about her, ok?"

"No. Not after everything you told me about her. I want to find out where she is so I can make sure she never hurts you again."

"UGH!!! Lucas, talk some sense into her. She doesn't believe I can take care of myself. While you are doing that, I am going to go take a shower." With that, Frankie turned and went to her room.

__________________________________________________________________________

A/N: Thank you to all those who are still reading this story. Please give me some feedback on how I am doing. Also, even though I have an idea where this is going, if you have any suggestions, I am more than willing to hear ya out. either put them in a review, or you can email them to me at buck44105@aol.com 


	10. Chapter ten

Chapter 10

After her shower, Frankie went looking for Jubilee. When she found her, she said, "I'm sorry about blowing up earlier. I know you are just being cautious. I think I am just feeling cooped up. Since today is Lucas's first day here, why don't we go out?"

"Sounds like a good idea, what do you want to do?"

"Maybe dinner, then to this club I know of that usually has a good band playing."

"Ok. Let's run this by Kitty and Bishop."

Once the two found the others and told them of their plans, all agreed a night out sounded just like what everyone needed. It was decided the reason for Bishop's visit could wait till the morning. With that, everyone went to get ready for the night out.

After a pleasant dinner, they arrived at the club Frankie told Jubilee about. When they got there, the band was just starting their first set. The group found a table and ordered their drinks.

"This is a really good band. They just play covers, but they do a very good job of it."

"Cool, so I might know some of the songs then." Jubilee commented.

"I believe they even take requests," Frankie told them. 

After about an hour, the band played a slow song, Beautiful, by Christina Aguilera. Frankie decided this was the perfect song to dance to with Jubilee. Once they got out to the dance floor, Jubilee put her head on Frankie's shoulder. They stayed that way till the second chorus, when Frankie started to sing into Jubilee's ear.

You are beautiful no matter what they say

Words won't bring you down

You are beautiful in every single way

Yes, words won't bring you down

Don't you bring me down today...  

When Frankie started singing, Jubilee looked up, straight into Frankie's eyes. She saw all the love Frankie had for her, and sent her love back. 

"Do you really feel like that?" Jubilee asked Frankie.

"Yes. Don't I tell you all the time how beautiful you are?"

With that, Jubilee put her head back on Frankie's shoulder and they finished their dance. As soon as the song was over, they started to go back to the table, when Frankie stopped. 

"Jae, I hate to cut this night short, but we should get going."

"John-John, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, let's just get going. We have a lot to go over tomorrow, and it's getting late."

Normally, Jubilee would have bought that, but she saw the fear in the other woman's face. Deciding to call her on it later, she went to the table to get the others so they could go. While she did that, Frankie walked up to someone standing at the bar. When Jubilee noticed Frankie wasn't with her, she looked all over to see where she went. She noticed her at the bar with another woman, clearly arguing over something. She was going to stay out of it, till she felt the anger and fear through their link, so she decided to go over to make sure Frankie was alright. 

"John-John, thought you were ready to get going."

"Jae, I'll be right there. I have something I have to take care of first."

Through the link, Jubilee asked Frankie, ~You sure you're ok? Getting some mixed messages here.~

~I'm fine. I'll meet you at the table. This shouldn't take too long.~

~Ok, but if you need anything, let me know.~

When Jubilee got to the table, Bishop asked, "You are just going to let her talk to her ex like nothing happened?"

"What?!? She didn't tell me that was her ex. That does explain the feelings though. Do you think I should go get her?"

"No, just watch and make sure everything is alright. If her fear gets any worse, then haul ass over there."

"Man, why didn't she tell me her ex was in town?"

"She said it herself earlier. She didn't know where she was."

"If she knows what is good for her, she won't be in town long."

Meanwhile, at the bar

"Who was that?" the woman Frankie is talking with.

"No one you need to concern yourself with. All you better hope is she doesn't find out who you are, Jan."

"Why? What lies have you been telling her?"

"I haven't told her any lies. All I told her was what happened. How I ended up in a wheel chair."

"Oh, I meant to ask you about that. Last I heard, you were never going to be able to walk again, yet here you are. How did you manage that miracle."

"That's something else you need not concern yourself with. Why are you here anyway?"

"I heard you had a falling out with your mom and moved here. I wanted to see if there was any chance we could get back together."

"You disappear out of my life for eight years. Just up and leave while I am in the hospital with an injury YOU gave me, and you expect to get back together? I don't think so."

"Hey, I didn't leave on my own. Your brother came to see me while you were in there and told me if I knew what was good for myself, I would get lost."

"My brother? He never came to see me back then. He didn't even know what happened till I went home."

"You mean the guy at the table with you isn't your brother? That is who he told me he was."

"He's as close as one, but no, he isn't."

"He sure acts like he is. Maybe the two of you need to have a talk about that."

"And why should I believe anything you say? You had eight years to try and get hold of me. I've been in this town for the last year of that. Don't try to say you decided you wanted me back now. What is it you really want?"

"Fine, don't believe me. Just don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart."

"Oh don't worry. You'll be the last person I turn to, even though I doubt that will ever happen."

With that, Frankie turned on her heel and went back to the table. She was so angry, she didn't notice Jan, or Jan's date leaving the bar. When she got to the table, the group decided Frankie was right and it was getting late. When they got outside, they found Jan and her date waiting for them. 

"Listen Jan, we don't want any trouble. We just want to leave."

"Like I care what you want. I want my life back. I thought we were good together. Didn't I take care of you?"

"Yeah, real well. So well, in fact, that now she can't walk," Jubilee yelled at her.

"Is that the lie she told you? That I was the one that hurt her. I loved her, why would I do something like that to her?" Jan asked.

"Maybe the same reason I had to hide the bruises for two years. You like to show your love with your fists. My only regret is I stayed with you after the first time you raised a hand to me. If I would have left then, I would be able to walk now."

"God, you are so delusional. Well, if I am going to be accused of it, might as well do it." taking a swing at Frankie. 

Jubilee saw it coming and got Frankie out of the way of the punch, but doing that put her right in the way of it. It connected with her jaw and knocked her back a few steps. When Frankie saw that, she decided this would be the last time Jan would hurt anyone. She stepped up to her and with her eyes glowing , lifted her arms and sent a medium sized paf at her. It didn't kill her, but it did knock her back about ten feet. Then Frankie walked up to her and said, "You will leave this town and never bother any of my family or friends again. Also, if I even hear a rumor you hurt anyone else, I will find you and finish this. Don't think I won't. You just got a taste of what I can do. Don't push me, or you will find out how far I will go to make sure you learn your lesson."

When Frankie finished, Jan grabbed her date and took off. When they were out of sight, Frankie turned to Jubilee to see if she was alright. 

"It's ok Frankie, let's just get home."


	11. Chapter eleven

Disclaimer: Sorry I forgot this part last chapter (as someone so nicely reminded me) Anyone you recognize from Marvel, belongs to them. I only own Frankie and Jan. If you want to borrow either one (although I have no idea why anyone would want Jan) just send me and email. The song Beautiful in the last chapter belongs to Christina Aguilera. 

A/N: This chapter starts the explanations on why Bishop is there. Please read and review. That way I know how I am doing so far. 

Chapter 11

The next morning

Frankie woke up early, just when the sun was starting to rise. Because they only had three bedrooms at the warehouse, it was decided that Jubilee would sleep in Frankie's room with her. When Frankie woke up, she looked over to Jubilee. Just then Jubilee turned over, giving Frankie a good look at the bruise on her jaw from the punch she took from Jan. The sight of it made Frankie angry and she decided to go down to the warehouse to get some of energy that anger brought up.

When Jubilee woke up about an hour later, she noticed Frankie was already up. Deciding to use the easy way to find her, Jubilee searched for her through their link. When she met a wall, she was concerned. Then she decided to find her the old fashioned way, by looking. She searched the kitchen, living room, and bathroom before she decided to see if maybe Frankie was on the loading dock off the warehouse. It never occurred to her that Frankie would try training alone. So when she got to the warehouse, she saw the last thing she was expecting, Frankie, out cold. She ran to her, trying to figure out what happened. When she got to her, Frankie was just beginning to come around. 

"What happened?" Jubilee asked Frankie.

"Guess I tried to do too much, too fast," Frankie replied. 

"What in the hell were you thinking, training by yourself? Something could have happened. Oh wait, obviously it did. You were out when I finally found you."

"I'm not a little girl, Jae. I can take care of myself, normally. I wasn't doing anything really strenuous. Just trying to work on my control a little. Guess I took it a little hard on myself. When I woke up and saw your jaw, I just snapped again. I knew I had to get it out of my system fast, or something worse might have happened."

"You got angry because of a little bruise? God, Frankie, I've had worse than this before."

"But not because of me. You got hit because I was so angry at Jan, I wasn't paying enough attention to what was going on. She hit you because I failed. That isn't going to happen again."

"I don't blame you. I was the one that walked in the way of her fist. She was aiming at you, not me."

"That's what I mean. I should have seen it coming and took care of it myself. Instead, I let my emotions over-take me."

"Frankie, your an empath. You probably had everyone's emotions going through you at the moment. We haven't really gotten your shields built up yet. So quit blaming yourself. Now, tell me what you were working on so hard, you passed out."

Frankie just smiled and had Jubilee sit against one of the outer walls. Then she walked out to the middle of the room and started glowing. She then held up her right hand, palm up and concentrated on it. Suddenly, a sword appeared, made up of the same plasma as her and Jubilee's pafs. Once she was finished, she turned and looked at Jubilee.

"I decided to see if we could do more than just make pafs. Took me most of the morning to figure out how to do it." With that, the sword disappeared.

"Wow, that is amazing. I had never thought to try that before. Can you make anything else?"

"That was the first thing I thought I would try. It takes and incredible amount of energy to do though. That is probably why I was passed out when you found me."

"Ok, maybe we can work more later. Right now, let's go get some breakfast. After that, we need to have that talk with Bishop."

"Breakfast, music to my ears. You cooking this morning, or do I have to do that too?"

"Hmm, I think I can be persuaded to cook, if you can teach me how you did that."

"Sounds like a deal to me."

Later that morning

Once everyone got up, and ate, they all met in the living room for the much needed discussion on what was going on with Jubilee and Frankie. For some reason, Frankie was feeling very anxious about this discussion, and tried, unsuccessfully, to have it put off a little longer. Bishop almost let her get away with it, but Jubilee and Kitty wanted answers. Since it was two to one about it, Frankie gave up and went with the other three into the living room. Once they were all seated, Bishop started with the explanation.

"Well, about the time of Frankie's graduation from Basic, Jubilee had been kidnapped. We still to this day don't know what happened. All we do know is when she was found, she had retreated into herself. She wouldn't talk to anyone, not even Logan. Since I was going to be going to the Air Force graduation about that time, it was decided it would be good for Jubilee to get away from the mansion for a while and come with me down there."

"Well that explains how you got me down there. If I had been in my right mind, I doubt I would have agreed to go. But that still doesn't explain why you went. You had never went to any military graduations before. What was so special about that one?"

"That explanation is going to have to wait. It's not really important right now. Now, let me continue. Once the parade and ceremony were over, the graduates got to spend the rest of the weekend on Base-Lib. Basically, that means they could go pretty much where they wanted, as long as they stayed on base. I went up and introduced myself to Frankie."

"Why me? I didn't know you from Adam till that day. Out of the 60 members of my flight, not to mention the other two flights that graduated that day, you picked me to come up to. Why?"

"I can see that you are not going to let me wait for the explanation, are you?"

"No. Plus there is what Jan said about you going after her, telling her your my brother. I know we got close, but that still doesn't explain anything."

"You're right and you have a right to know. As Jubilee and Kitty will tell you, I am from the future. I also come from another time line than this one. In my time, I had an older sister. When I got back here, I decided to see if I could find her. Imagine my surprise when I found out she followed in the family footsteps and joined the military."

"And this has to do with me, how?"

"I think he is trying to tell you, that you are that sister," Kitty jumped in.

"Whoa, wait a minute here. I don't have any younger brothers. My parents divorced about a year after my youngest sister was born, and my mom never had another long-term relationship after that."

"I told you I came from another time-line. In my time, our mother did have another relationship. I am the result of it."

"Great, so now I get the younger brother I always wanted, and he is older than me. That just figures." Frankie said, not really believing any of what Bishop had said.

"Frankie, calm down. You don't want to pass out again, do ya?" Jubilee said.

"Calm down? CALM DOWN? How in the hell am I supposed to do that? I just found out I have a younger brother, that came back from the future. He's been in my life now for ten years, and just now decides to tell me? Hell no I won't calm down." With that, Frankie turned on her heel and ran out of the room. 

Jubilee jumped up and got in Bishops face. "You never told her? In ten years, you never thought it was important enough to let her know you were family? Why did you keep that from her?"

"It never seemed the right time. I tried to tell her that first weekend, at her graduation, but she was kinda spaced out the first day, then you were tagging along behind her the rest of the time. I didn't think she could handle it when I went to her two years later. She had too much to deal with then, without me adding this to it. After that, I thought maybe it was best if I didn't tell her. I know I was wrong, but how would you have handled it?"

"Does anyone else know?"

"The professor. I had to explain to him why I wanted to go to her graduation, then when she was hurt."

"Listen. Let's continue this talk in a bit. Right now, I have to go make sure she isn't trying to hurt herself." And Jubilee took off in the same direction Frankie did minutes earlier. 

When she finally caught up to her, Frankie was sitting on the loading dock, trying to come to terms with everything. 

"I heard you going after him Jae, and what he said. I don't agree with it, but I can understand a little."

"He could have found a way though. I mean in ten years, he never found a way to tell you? I find that a little too unbelievable."

"I don't. Most of the time, all we did was talk over the phone. That is not something to tell someone that way. It also explains a bit why he didn't want me to visit him in Westchester. With the professor knowing, who else might have guessed?"

"Logan might have, with that sniffer of his. But both wouldn't have said anything, unless Bishop ok-ed it first. It just upsets me, ya know? If I were in your place, I would have wanted to know right away. Then again, I am an only child, so if I had another sibling, I would really want to know."

"Oh, he isn't getting off that easy. Now that I know, he has no excuse for not coming with me to the family gatherings," Frankie said with an evil smirk on her face.

"Oh man, from what you told me, that is cruel and unusual punishment."

"So glad you think so, cause your going too."

"What? And how do you think to can get me there?"

"Oh I'll think of something," Frankie said, grabbing Jubilee and kissing her. "Thank you for coming after me. I needed this. Just give me a few minutes more, then we should head back and finish all this. I have a feeling that is only the tip of what we have to learn today. 


	12. Chapter twelve

Disclaimer: See previous chapter. Nothings changed, except I have even less to sue for now.

A/N: Whoo-Hoo Looks like Frankie may get to stretch her legs a little (so to speak.) Cris-X said he may use her in his fic, Aftermath. If you haven't checked it out yet, I recommend it. Please remember to review. It only takes a moment, and it helps me out greatly. 

Chapter 12

A little while later, Jubilee and Frankie rejoined Bishop and Kitty in the living room. Frankie seemed to have calmed down some, but it was obvious she was still a little cautious of Bishop.

"Ok, now that we know WHY you went to my graduation all those years ago, what happened that day when I shook Jubilee's hand?" Frankie asked.

"Well, basically, Jubilee had a spell of some kind. Not even sure what you would call it. Basically, her eyes glazed over, and she started talking in some weird voice."

"That's basically what happened the day I came home and found them asleep on the couch," Kitty told everyone.

"Well, what did I say?" Jubilee asked.

"You said 'Two halves of one soul have finally joined in this lifetime. When next they meet, the time of battle will be near. To finally be able to rest in peace, both halves must make it out alive.' Then you looked at me and said 'You are The Watcher of the Soul. You must prepare the halves so they may be ready for the battle.'"

Both Frankie and Jubilee sat in stunned silence. As Bishop was telling them what Jubilee had said, they both were reliving the experience. It took a few moments for them to snap out of the flashback. When they were back in the present mentally, Jubilee went over and grabbed Frankie. 

"Oh God, I remember now. I remember how I lost you in our last lifetime. I don't think I can go through that again."

Frankie looked deep into Jubilee's eyes, then turned and looked at Bishop. "You said you were from the future and that you knew me there. So that means I make it out alive, right?"

"I never said that. In my time line, you didn't survive the battle. That is why I have watched you all these years. Why I pushed you so hard during your therapy. Jubilee had the benefit of training with the X-men, you didn't and I couldn't risk bringing you to Westchester to get that training. The last thing I wanted is to bring about this battle before you were ready."

Frankie sat there in shock for a bit, just holding on to Jubilee. Neither could bare the thought that they might lose the other this soon after being reunited. After a few minutes, Jubilee realized what Bishop had said.

"NO!!!!! I won't lose her again. I can't. I finally feel whole, and you are saying that soon she will be gone. I won't accept it."

"I never said that Jubilee. I said she lost in my time line. I am going to make sure she doesn't in this one. She does have one thing going for her this time though. She is fully manifested. That is why I was so surprised when I saw the two of you training. You would think, out of everyone here, I would have known she would have that power, but I didn't. If I did, I would have had her prepared for that also."

"What other things are different this time, Lucas?"

"You weren't paralyzed. That may be why you were allowed the time to manifest fully this time. I don't know. Maybe I succeeded in giving you the time you needed to really get ready for this, if that is even possible."

"This is too much, too fast. I need to get out of here for a while," Frankie said, then got up and ran out of the room.

Jubilee got up to go after her, but Kitty grabbed her arm. "Let her go for a bit. I know it'll be hard, but you both need to deal with this a little alone before you can begin to deal with it together. And don't give me you are ok with this all, cause I know you better than that, Jae. Besides, you are broadcasting louder than one of Banshee's screams. Just give her time. She'll be back."

"But, what if something happens before she can get back? What if I can't get to her in time? I can't lose her again, Kitty."

"Nothing is going to happen, Jubilee. You have not been through all the tests yet." Bishop informed her. 

"Tests? You mean we are going to be tested, then we have to battle something we know nothing about. Do you have any good news about any of what is going on?"

"The tests are to make the bond stronger, Jubilee. By the time they are done, the link between you and Frankie will be so strong, you will be able to sense the other, without even trying. I know it seems strong now, but tell me, without trying to use the link, where is Frankie right now?"

Jubilee sat for a second, consciously not trying to use her powers to find Frankie. "I don't know. All I can feel is her confusion and anger. She's been through so much, Bishop. Is there anyway to spare her this?"

"No. You both must do this battle together."

~It's not like you have had the easiest of lives, Jae. Why do you want to spare me?~ Frankie sent through the link.

~Am I broadcasting that loud, or can you still hear us?~

~I am just outside. I can hear everything still. And quit trying to change the subject. If you think I will just let you go into this by yourself, you are crazier than I thought.~

~I have been up against some very powerful advisaries, John-John. I know I can handle myself. It's you I am worried about. You are new to your powers. Will you have the control when the time is right?~

~Jae, you know I have been working on that night and day. You have seen the kind of control I have right now. The question is, are you going to hold back? You have been doing it for so long now, I am not sure you even know how to let go anymore. Will you be able to use your powers to the fullest to protect yourself? Not me, but you. If something happens, you will have to do finish it on your own. Will you be able to? ~


	13. Chapter thirteen

Chapter 13

Jubilee sat there in stunned silence. Since her conversation with Frankie had been through thier link, Kitty and Bishop didn't know why Jubilee suddenly jumped up and ran out of the room. They had a feeling that it had something to do with why she had been silent for a while though, so they just let her go.

Outside, Frankie had heard Jubilee start to take off and was trying to talk to her again through the link, while at the same time, try to cut off her running away, but Jubilee had shut her out. Because of that, Frankie had no idea where Jubilee was running to. 

Meanwhile, Jubilee had run out of the warehouse, and took off towards the park. She just couldn't deal with even the thought of losing Frankie, let alone having to go on without her. It hurt that Frankie doubted that she could use her powers fully. 'I could let lose if I needed, I just have never had a reason to before. Maybe I should show her I can. Maybe then she will quit thinking she won't make it through this battle. But how can I prove myself, without blowing up a city block? Wait, I have an idea.'

~Frankie?~

~Oh thank God, Jae. Where are you? I have been trying to contact you for a while now.~

~Don't worry about that. I'm going to prove to you I can let go of my powers fully if need be.~

~I'm sorry about that Jae. That was totally uncalled for. I know you will do well in the battle. I'm just afraid of what Lucas said about me not making it. Please, tell me where you are.~

~You'll find out soon enough. Don't try to follow me though. I don't want you to stop me.~

~Jae, that doesn't sound like you. Please, don't do anything stupid. Just come home.~

Jubilee decided to close the link again, and started scanning the town for the person she was looking for. It took her a few minutes, but she found her. 'Damn, did she not believe Frankie last night when she told her to get lost. What in the world did she see in her anyway? Well, maybe I should just pay her a little visit.'

While Jubilee was planning, Frankie decided to try to find Jubilee using her empathy. She reached out, trying to find the same feelings she was getting through the link. Unfortunately, she still didn't know how to filter out the emotions she didn't want, and was suddenly flooded with everything everyone was feeling in the city. Deciding that wasn't the best way, she tried to throw up her shields, but as weak as they were, they did nothing to stop the flow. Instead, it kept getting stronger and stronger, till she suddenly cried out. She fell to the ground, clutching her head, trying to stop the torment.

When Frankie fell, Jubilee suddenly felt something pounding on the other end of the link. Worried something was wrong, she opened her end a crack. She was suddenly hit with everything Frankie was feeling. She knew the other woman wouldn't be able to handle it, and tried to find where she was, but because of the psychic backlash, it was impossible. Suddenly, whatever she had planned wasn't important. All she knew was she had to find Frankie, and fast. The backlash was getting stronger by the minute. As much as she hated to do it with Frankie in the pain she was in, Jubilee closed the link again. She then sent a message to Kitty and Bishop. 

~Hey guys, something is wrong with Frankie. I'm not sure what, but I think her empathy is out of control. I can't find her psy-sig anywhere. Can you help me look for her?~

~We're on our way. Where is the last place you knew she was?~

~I think she was out on the loading dock. All she told me was she was outside and could hear us, but with her hearing, that could have been anywhere.~

~Shit. Ok, where are you?~

~I'm at the park. Guys, we need to hurry, it's getting worse.~

Frankie knew she had to get back to the warehouse. She tried again to reach Jubilee, but that just made everything else more intense. She couldn't stand because of the pain in her head, so she tried crawling towards where she thought the warehouse was, but actually ended up going in the opposite direction. After about ten minutes, everything got to be too much, and she passed out.

When that happened, the battering on link ceased. Jubilee tried opening the link again to see if maybe Frankie got everything under control.

~Frankie, you ok? Frankie? Oh shit Frankie~

Realizing it was worse than she thought, she contacted the other two again.

~You guys, something is very wrong. Everything suddenly stopped, and I can't read Frankie anywhere. I'm heading back to the warehouse.~

With that, Jubilee took off at a sprint. When she was almost there, she saw someone sprawled out on the ground. When she reached the person, she realized who it was. 

~Guys, I found her. We are about two blocks away. Can you come help me get her back home?~

~On our way. How is she?~

~Out cold, and a little bloody. Looks like she tried crawling somewhere. Please hurry. I'm still not getting anything from her.~

Jubilee tried to reach out to Frankie's mind, but kept hitting a wall of pain. She checked her pulse and found it was way higher than it should be. Without being able to reach her mentally, there was nothing she could do to help it either. 

"John-John, come back. I know you're in there. Ya need to wake up for me, hun. I can't help ya till you do." 


	14. Chapter fourteen

Chapter 14

When Kitty and Bishop finally found the pair, Jubilee had Frankie's head in her lap and was stroking her hair. When Jubilee noticed the two were there, she looked up.

"Guys, I can't reach her. She put up a wall, and it hurts to even try. Her pulse is really high, and there is nothing I can do." 

In Frankie's mind

"Whoa, note to self, do not try that again without an expert near-by."

She then realized she wasn't on the sidewalk anymore. 

"Uh, don't think I am in Kansas anymore. Where in the hell am I?"

"You're in your head."

Realizing she wasn't alone, she turned around slowly to see who was there. Expecting Jubilee, she was surprised to see a younger version of herself standing there instead.

"Who are you, and what happened?"

"I'm you, just younger. You over-taxed yourself and withdrew to where you felt safe. Right now, you need to try to calm down. I set up some temporary shields for now, but they won't hold if you stay as upset as you are now."

"Huh? What do you mean where I felt safe? I never retreated into my head before now."

"Yes you did. Every time Jan started to go off, you came here to escape the pain. Didn't you wonder why you never fought back? It's cause you were really never there. Just your body."

"Then what happened the last time. I clearly remember fighting back then."

"Nope, you never fought her back. I did. I couldn't stand what she was doing to you anymore, so when you came here, I took the chance and took over. It's my fault she did what she did to you."

"Ok, this is so not helping me with the calming down thing. I need to get back out there. Jubilee may be in danger. I need to find her."

"Jubilee is fine. She is with your body. You need to relax, though. If not, there is a chance you won't wake up."

"What do you mean?"

"The more upset you get, the deeper you hide. It was ok when you were hiding from Jan. It gave your body a chance to heal. But now, it isn't really helping anything. You need to get back out into the world. Plus, we need to work on your shields. You tore them down trying to find Jubilee. We need to build them back up."

"Tore them down? I never knew I had any to begin with. How do I go about building them back?"

"Like I said, first you need to calm your body. It's going to be a little tougher than normal, but it can be done."

"Fine, how do I do that?"

"Picture the flow of blood through your body. See how fast it's going?"

"Ok, I see it, now what?"

"Picture it slowing down to a normal level."

Concentrating, it took a few minutes, but Frankie saw her blood slow down. "Ok now what?"

"That's it. Now we need to build your walls back, so you can let everyone know you are ok."

Back at the warehouse

Jubilee never left Frankie's side. Once they got back to the warehouse, she had Bishop put Frankie on her bed. She kept checking her pulse, silently wishing it to slow down. All of a sudden, she noticed it doing just that, to the point where she barely felt it. When that happened, she tried scanning Frankie's mind again. Instead of the wall of pain, she was met with a brick wall. Backing out, she decided to see if the link was open. 

~Frankie, can you hear me?~

She heard a faint reply back ~Jae, I'm here, just a little busy at the moment.~

~What happened?~

~Guess I had shields after all. Give me a few minutes, and I will be there to explain everything to ya, ok?~

~You better, or I will come back in and drag you out kicking and screaming.~

Laughter came back to her through the link. ~Why do I not doubt that?~ Then another voice came through, simaliar to Frankie's but younger, ~Seriously, she needs to work, she'll be out in a bit. This may take some time, so please, just let her work.~

~Who are you? I thought this was a direct line between Frankie and me.~

~It is. I'm just a younger version of her that helps when she can't handle things. She can explain it better once she is done, but for right now, we really need to get back to work. Please don't worry, she is fine, she just needs to rebuild her walls, ok?~

~For now I guess I have no choice. I'll give you a day, if she isn't awake then, I'm coming back.~

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Disclaimer: I don't own Kitty, Jubilee, or Bishop. Just Frankie. Plus, I don't have anything to sue for, so why bother trying. 

A/N Sorry these chapters were so short, but hey, you got two for the price of one this time. Call me superstitious, but I couldn't leave it on chapter 13. Please R/R. Thank you.


	15. Chapter fifteen

Chapter 15

Jubilee hadn't left Frankie's side since they brought her back to the warehouse two days ago. When Frankie didn't wake up the next day, she tried to contact her again through the link. That is when she discovered the link was closed on Frankie's side. That meant, until Frankie opened back up, there was no way for Jubilee to contact her. She was really starting to worry about the other woman. Jubilee didn't know what caused the backlash and Frankie's retreat into her own mind. 

Finally, after trying to convince her to get something to eat, Kitty had talked Jubilee into leaving the bedroom for a few minutes. Unfortunately, that is when Frankie woke up. When that happened, Jubilee suddenly felt an intense fear coming from her. She ran back to the bedroom to find Frankie curled up in a ball in the far corner of the room. Slowly Jubilee walked over to her to find out what was wrong. When she got there, Frankie just curled up tighter and started crying. 

"What's wrong, John-John?"

"Please, no more. I'll be good. Please no more."

"Frankie, no more what?"

"Please don't hit me anymore. I'll be good, Jan. Please stop."

That is when Jubilee realized Frankie didn't know where she was. She thought she was still with Jan. She slowly reached out and tried to soothe her.

"Shhh. It's ok, Frankie. Jan isn't here. That's over now. Come here, hun. I'll help you."

That is when Frankie looked up. When she saw Jubilee, she was confused.

"Jae, I thought you were in Massechusets in school. What are you doing in Texas?"

'Oh man, how do I handle this one?' Jubilee thought. Then she sent a message telepathically to Bishop. 

~Bish, we have a problem here. Frankie woke up. Only problem is, she thinks she is still in Texas with Jan. What do I do?~

~Don't do anything, I'll be right there.~

Jubilee looked over to Frankie, and instead of answering the question, she tried to get her out of the corner.

"Why don't you come back over to the bed? It's got to be cold there on the floor."

"I can't. Can't feel my legs. I think she went too far this time, Jae."

"No, she went to far the first time she layed a hand on you, but you wouldn't let me go after her. If I ever get my hands on her, she is going to wish she never layed a hand on you to begin with." 

"No, Jae. She will just hurt you too. Besides, I deserved it. I didn't do what I was supposed to do. Oh Jae, what am I going to do?"

By this time, Bishop had made it into the bedroom. When he noticed Jubilee and Frankie in the corner, he knew what day Frankie was reliving. It was the day Jan had taken a bat to her, because she dared to fight back. To not take the abuse anymore. It broke his heart to see the pain on her face again. It took so long for him to get her to open up again. He then knew the tests for Jubilee and Frankie had started. That meant, the only person who could help Frankie come back to the present was Jubilee. Now he had to convince her of that. 

~Jubilee, you are the only one that can help her. Can you reach her through your link?~

~I haven't tried. Been too afraid of hurting her worse. Plus it is taking everything in me, not to go after the bitch that did this to her and returning the favor.~

~Jubilee, Frankie needs you more right now. You need to see if you can reach her.~

~I'll try.~

Jubilee then reached out and pulled Frankie into her lap. She then looked down and tried to open the link they shared.

~Frankie? Can you hear me?~

~Jae? I'm scared. What's going on?~

~You seem to be stuck in the past. Can you come back to me?~

~The past? Huh? I'm confused.~

~You're reliving the last time Jan beat you. You know you are safe now, right? That happened 8 years ago. You have nothing to be scared of anymore. I won't let anything happen to you.~

Frankie then looked up into Jubilee's eyes. When she did that, the years flooded back to her, bringing her into the present. "Jae? What happened? How did I get back here?"

"I don't know what happened. I found you passed out about two blocks from here. Do you remember what happened before that?"

"Last thing I remember is trying to find you, but you had closed the link, so I tried using my empathy. Guess it's stronger than I thought. I felt the emotions of everyone in the city."

"We need to work on your shields. Then on controlling it. I don't think I could handle finding you link that again."


	16. Chapter sixteen

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Marvel characters used in this story. I do own Frankie, so if you want to use her, please ask.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out. I was having some problems with this chapter. Besides the first chapter, this one took me the longest to write. Please reveiw and let me know how you like the story so far. 

_________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 16

Jubilee picked up Frankie from the floor and placed her on the bed. They had taken her braces off when they had brought her home, so she made sure the wheelchair was within Frankie's reach. She then went back and held Frankie till she fell asleep again. When she was sure she could leave without waking Frankie, she quietly slipped out of the room. She was about to leave the warehouse when she felt someone behind her. 

"Where do you think you are going?" Kitty asked.

"I need to get some air."

"You could do that on the loading dock. So 'fess up, where are you going?"

"There's something I need to take care of. Keep an eye on Frankie for me please?"

"I really think you should stay and do that yourself. We don't know how she will react to anyone but you."

"Just look in on her in a bit. I should be back before she wakes up."

Kitty looked at Jubilee a minute, then said, "You're going after Jan, aren't you?"

"That's my concern, not yours. Just watch her." and with that, she turned and walked out.

After walking around town for about an hour, scanning the people around her, Jubilee came across Jan's psy-sig. She knew what she wanted to do to her when she left the warehouse, but after walking around a while, she wasn't sure what she should do. One thing she didn't think about when she left was how Frankie would feel about what she was set to do. 

Meanwhile at the warehouse, Frankie woke up to find herself alone. She searched the link to see where Jubilee was, and felt a wave of anger and confusion. As soon as she felt that, she knew what Jubilee was up to. She quickly put her braces on and went out to stop her soulmate from doing something she knew Jubes would regret later. The only problem was, while she knew what Jubilee was doing, she didn't know where. So the first place she was going to check was the bar where she last saw Jan. 

About ten minutes after Frankie left the warehouse, Kitty went in to check on her. When she arrived at the empty room, she panicked. She didn't know what Jubilee was up to, and now Frankie had disappeared as well. So she went to tell Bishop what was going on. After telling him everything, he went over and tried to call Jubilee on her cell phone. His reason being that he figured she would want to know Frankie was up and coming after her. 

After getting off the phone with Bishop, Jubilee knew she couldn't do what she set out to do. She needed to find Frankie and get her home. She knew the other woman would still be weak from what happened and shouldn't be roaming the city. She attempted to reach out with the link to find her, only to see her a second later. Now she had the choice of either avoiding her and going on with her plans, or calling to her to get her attention. 

While she was deciding what to do, she didn't notice the other person sneaking up behind her. By the time she realized the other person was there, it was too late. The other person swung the bat she had and hit Jubilee in the back of the head. When the blow hit, Jubilee reached out to Frankie to get her to run, then turned over to confront her attacker. She had a feeling who it was, so she wasn't surprised to see Jan standing over her, getting ready to hit her with the bat again. 

"Such a big girl. Can't fight without her bat. You scared you can't win in a fair fight?"

"There is no such thing as a fair fight with a mutant. That's right. I know you and that bitch ex of mine are mutants. If I would have known that when I was with her, I wouldn't have stopped with just crippling her. I can correct that mistake now though, but first, I am going to take care of you." 

Jan pulled back the bat to take another swing at Jubilee, but found her momentum stopped. When she turned around to see who was stopping her, she came face to face with Frankie.

"I told you to get out of town. I also told you the next time you hurt anyone, I would finish what I started outside the bar. This is the last time you will ever hurt anyone. You made a big mistake not taking my advice." Frankie then let go of the bat and swung a right hook to Jan's head. The blow made Jan lose the bat. As soon as it left her hand, Frankie had it. As she raised it to start hitting her ex with it, she heard Jubilee through the link.

~If you do what you are planning, you are no better than her. It's time to stop all of this. I was wrong going after her myself. I see that now. It's time to let it all go.~

Frankie stood there for a bit, trying to decide what she should do. She was tired of feeling threatened by Jan everytime she saw her, but she didn't want to drop down to her level either. She knew she was better than that. Finally she dropped the bat to her side, then opened up all of her emotions and sent them to Jan. 

As soon as the wave hit her, Jan dropped to her knees. Frankie only kept up the flow for a few seconds, but it was enough to get the point across.

"Now you know how you made me feel for two years. All the pain, fear, and confusion. I still to this day don't know why I stayed with you for as long as I did. I'm glad you are out of my life now. I said it once by the bar, leave this town and don't come back. Leave me, my friends and family alone. Also, don't even think about hurting another person again, or what you felt will just be a tip of what I will do to you. This is the end of your violent ways. This time, believe me when I say I will finish what I started."

Jan just looked at Frankie, but the other girl just brushed by her, picked up Jubilee and left. She believed her when she said she would end it, cause she felt that also in the wave she was sent. As soon as the other two were out of eye sight, she turned around and ran till she was out of town.

By the time Frankie and Jubilee got back to the warehouse, both were exhausted. It had been a very rough couple of days. Now they had to deal with disappearing on Bishop and Kitty. Bishop understood why they did what they did, but Kitty was a little harder to convince. She thought they should have made Jan pay for what she did. It took a while, but she began to see why Frankie did what she did. By that time, neither Frankie nor Jubilee had any energy left, and decided to head to bed. 


End file.
